Dythemis nigra Martin, 1897

Meurgey, François & Poiron, Celine, 2011, The true Dythemis multipunctata Kirby, 1894, from the West Indies and proposed new taxonomic status (Odonata: Anisoptera: Libellulidae), Zootaxa 3019, pp. 51-62 : 52-54

Dythemis nigra Martin, 1897 NEW STATUS

Figs. 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15; 16f,g

Libellula tessellata Rambur, 1842 (nec Burmeister, 1839): 89 (in part, ♀ "Buénos-Ayres," in IRSN, not examined)

Dythemis sterilis Hagen, 1861: 317 (in part, Buénos Ayres)

Dythemis tabida (nomen nudum) - Hagen, 1861: 317 ( Brazil)

Dythemis nigra Martin, 1897: 390 (descr. ♀ Cayenne in Paris Mus [examined]).

Dythemis sterilis var. tabida Calvert, 1898: 310 (descr. 3 [ Brazil], 3♀ [Bahia, Para], in MCZ, not examined)

Dythemis multipunctata: Ris, "1916 " [1919]: 1206 (distribution); — Geijskes, 1932: 120 –121 (catalogue and brief description, Trinidad); —Schmidt, 1943: 266 (distribution); — De Marmels, 1982: (larva); — De Marmels, 1989a: 74–76 (description of a hybrid between D. sterilis and D. multipunctata sensu Ris from Venezuela); — De Marmels, 1990: 339 ( Venezuela); — Daigle et al., 1997: 11 ( Ecuador);―Steinmann, 1997: 493 (catalog); ― Needham et al., 2000:652 ( Mexico, South America, short descr., notes, keys); — Ramirez et al., 2000: 248 ( Costa Rica); ―Förster, 2001: 103 (key, illustrations); —de Assis, Carvalho & Nessimian, 2004: 1 ( Brazil); —Novelo-Guttierez & Gonzalez-Soriano, 2004: 285 (short description of larva from Mexico); — Esquivel, 2006: 218 (catalog, Central America and West Indies); — Heckman, 2006: 136,375 (keys); —von Ellenrieder & Garrison, 2007: 90 ( Argentina); ― Giacomini & De Marco, 2008: 214 ( Brazil);―Gonzalez- Soriano, 2008: 311 ( Mexico); ― Altamiranda Saavedra, 2009: 5074 ( Colombia);― Palacino-Rodriguez, 2009: 39 ( Colombia)

Dythemis multipunctata reducta De Marmels 1989: 43 (descr. 3, Río Baría, Neblina Base Camp, Amazonas State, Venezuela, in IZA, not examined); — De Marmels, 1990: 339 ( Venezuela) NEW SYNONYMY

Dythemis multipunctata nigra Martin, 1897 — Machet, 2004: 40 (checklist, French Guiana).

Specimens examined. Total 1036Ƥ. MEXICO: 13, Chiapas, Agua Azul, 23.IX.1983, 16°45’34”N 90°46’30”W, Garrison leg., RWG; PANAMA 23 1Ƥ, Canal Zone, trail at milepost 12, by Gaillard Hwy, 7.4 km SE of Gamboa, 3.VIII.1979, 9°4’0”N 79°40’0”W, Garrison leg., NHMN. TRINIDAD: 1Ƥ, Caroni Co, Brasso, 14.I.1981, 10°24’0”N 61°19’0”W, Garrison leg., RWG; 13, St Andrew Co, 1.9 mi W Cumuto, 1.VIII.1975, 10°34’60”N 61°12’0”W, Knopf leg., RWG. SURINAME: 13, Sipaliwini district, Werehpai (RAP 2010 Camp 3), forest creek, 3.IX.2010, 2°21’46”N 56°41’53”W, von Ellenrieder leg., RWG. FRENCH GUIANA: HOLOTYPE female, Cayenne, René Martin, NMNH; 13, Rémire-Rorota, Lac Minmidoque, 21.I.1988, P. Machet leg; 1Ƥ, Rémire-Rorota, Lac Minmidoque, 21.I.1988, P. Machet leg; 13, Lac du Rorota, E of Cayenne, 23.II.1988, 4°53’10”N 52°15’49”W, Garrison leg., RWG. BRAZIL: 1 31Ƥ, Rondônia, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 62 km SW of Ariquemes, 2.XI.1989, 10°3’48”S 62°48’0”W, Garrison leg., RWG; 1Ƥ, Sao Paulo, Sitio Primavera, Rio Claro, 13.II.2002, 22°24’33”S 47°36’44”W, Lencioni leg., RWG. PERU: 13, Madre de Dios, Hotel Amazonia, across from Atalaya, in forest, 27.VI.1983, 12°52’13”S 71°22’34”W, Garrison leg., RWG. ARGENTINA: 13, Salta prov., Chicoana, Quebrada de Tilian, Laguna, 20. IV.2006, 25°7’51”S 65°32’24”W, von Ellenrieder leg., RWG.

Description. Head of male (Figs. 7, 16f) with eyes in life brilliant blue. Face mostly white or bluish, densely covered with black hairs. Labium pale with broad black median band. Labrum black except for two yellow spots on anterior margin; anteclypeus pale whitish or bluish; posclypeus white or bluish with black streak on posterior margin; frons metallic blue with bluish-white streak longitudinally on each side and black spot on eye margin; postfrons and vertex metallic blue; occipital triangle dark or with metallic sheen. Rear of head with two yellow spots.

Prothorax obscure dark brown with anterior margin yellow, middle lobe with pair of yellow spots at middle. Pterothorax (Fig. 16f) yellow with metallic black stripes as follows: a broad mesepisternal; a broad humeral; a narrow mesepimeral joining humeral at its middle; a broad metepisternal, a broad pleural, the latter bifid anteriorly with a small streak on metepimeron, rounded below and joining the metepisternal suture. All lateral thoracic stripes forming approximately a YIY design. Dorsum of thorax between wings with yellow spots (sometimes absent). Wings hyaline, Ax Fw 14–16 (15); Px Fw 9–11 (10); Ax Hw 10–11 (11); Px Hw 10–12 (11). Legs black, with coxae yellowish and anterior coxae and femora white or yellowish beneath. Mesofemora with short, peg-like spines increasing in length from base to apex except three medium and three long apical spines.

Abdomen (Figs. 3; 16f) black, yellow on ventral side of S2–8, and pale as follows: S2 mostly black with yellowish spot on dorsum and three yellow spots on sides, S3 with two ventrolateral yellow spots along tergal margin and two yellow dorsolateral spots. S4–7 black dorsally with two small pale bluish spots basally, those of S6 the smallest (often absent) and those of S7 the broadest, rounded and occupying less than basal half of segment. S6 and S8–10 black. Genital lobe long, oval in shape, constricted at base and directed forward, covered with strong spinelike setae; hamules nearly straight, long and slender, and curved slightly posteriad, the tip acutely pointed (Fig. 9). Caudal appendages (Figs. 11,13) black. Cerci thin, curved upward at tip, ventrally with row of 3–5 denticles, directed rearward. Epiproct sometimes with yellow patch at middle.

Female with head as in male except for entirely whitish or bluish postclypeus. Thorax (Figs. 4; 16b) as in male but pale parts more extensive. Wings similar to male; Ax Fw 15–16 (15); Px Fw 8–10 (9); Ax Hw 9–11 (10); Px Hw 9–12 (11). Legs as in male except for spines of mesofemora. Abdomen black as in male (Figs. 4; 16b), pale as follows: S2 with three to four yellow spots along tergal margin and two yellow spots dorsally; S3 with one yellow spot along tergal margin and four yellow spots dorsally; S4–7 dorsally with two yellow streaks basally, those of S6 the smallest, those of S7 the widest, occupying less than full length of segment. Cerci black, as long as or slightly longer than S10. Vulvar lamina black, deeply cleft, cleft rounded with parallel margins (Fig. 15).

Variations among specimens. Males from South America (except Trinidad) are similar to those from Mexico and Central America but differ by having well-defined pale spots on the dorsum of S6 (absent in others) and a reduced white streak on the sides of the frons. Some females have wings tinged with amber and brown at the apex, distad to base of Pt. Several males show a black-brown tip on the four wings. Genital lobe of most males is entirely black but some individuals show some pale coloration.

The description of Dythemis nigra reducta (de Marmels 1989) is mostly based on the reduction of pale spots on S3 and S7. Although we were unable to examine specimens from Venezuela, Rosser Garrison (in lit.) examined two males from Bolivar State, Venezuela (Bolivar State, El Pauji), and a male from Suriname (Sipaliwini District, Werehpai [RAP 2010 Camp 3]), and confirms that the diagnostic characters ascribed for D. nigra reducta are variable and occur in varying degrees in other nominotypical populations. For example, some specimens from Trinidad and South America show a reduction of pale spots on S7, and the pale spots on S 3 may or may not join. As diagnostic differences listed for reducta vary within other populations of D. nigra , we consider D. n. reducta a synonym of D. nigra .

Dimensions. Males (n = 9): Total length 34.0–41.0, abdomen 24.0–29.0, Fw 28.0–32.0, Hw 28.0–31.0. Females (n = 4): Total length 37.0–40.0, abdomen 26.0–30.0, Fw 30.0–31.0, Hw 29.0–31.0.

Diagnosis. The combination of pale whitish blue face, metallic blue frons, blue eyes in life, overall dark body coloration, and small rounded bluish spots on S7 will distinguish males from all others of this group. Mature individuals have only small yellow spots at the base of the wings. The female differs from Dythemis sterilis ssp. by the extent of metallic blue on the frons (as in male), two broad yellow lines on the ventrolateral face of S2–7, and small rounded bluish spots on S7. Some females have the apex of the wings brown. Dark body coloration of mainland D. sterilis is brown, but those from St. Vincent approach D. nigra in overall dark body coloration. For example, material from St. Vincent and St. Lucia have body markings as dark as in D. nigra , although the metallic blue of the frons, typical of D. nigra ¸ is lacking ( Guadeloupe, St. Lucia) or is confined to the postfrons ( St. Vincent).

Remarks. Our examination of the female holotype of Dythemis nigra Martin in the NMNH confirms application of the name as used here.

Distribution. Widespread from northern Mexico to Argentina.

FIGURE 1–9.